Pa. Justices Urged To Trim Judge's Sanction For Lying

Law360, Philadelphia (March 11, 2014, 5:11 PM EDT) -- The Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline acted too harshly when it issued a decision in August removing a Philadelphia County judge from the bench after withholding information about his legal and financial struggles as part of a review of judicial candidates, the state’s Supreme Court heard Tuesday.

Samuel Stretton, an attorney for former judge Thomas Nocella, told the justices during oral arguments that the lifetime ban on holding judicial office that his client was slapped with for the offense in August presented the Supreme Court with...